Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Case Reports
. 2020 Apr 2:10:Doc18.
doi: 10.3205/oc000145. eCollection 2020.

Primary vitreous cysts

Pieter Robben  1 , Rita Van Ginderdeuren  1 , Daphne Thoma  1 , Catherine Deghislage  2 , Joachim Van Calster  1 , Johan Blanckaert  3 , Ingele Casteels  1
Affiliations
Case Reports

Primary vitreous cysts

Pieter Robben et al. GMS Ophthalmol Cases. .

Abstract

Objective: To report two cases of vitreous cysts with discussion of their pathophysiology and management. Methods: Clinical examination with fundus photography, ultrasound and optical coherence tomography. Histopathology was performed in the first case. Results: The first case illustrates a pigmented, free-floating cyst, which was removed during a 27-gauge vitrectomy. The histopathology shows a single layer of pigmented epithelium and confirms the previously reported presence of a PAS-positive basement membrane. The second case shows a sessile, non-pigmented cyst associated with significant anisometropia. Conclusion: Primary vitreous cysts are rare and can have a wide range in their clinical aspect. This likely reflects whether they originate either from the pigment epithelium or the primary hyaloidal system. The management of vitreous cysts is mostly conservative, but pars plana vitrectomy can be used safely if the symptoms are debilitating.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that they have no competing interests.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1. Fundus photograph showing the free-floating, pigmented vitreous cyst
Figure 2
Figure 2. The single layer of cuboidal cells contain a variable amount of pigmented granules and are lined with a PAS-positive basement membrane (periodic acid-Schiff staining x20).
Figure 3
Figure 3. Fundus photograph showing the prepapillary cyst
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Tansley JO. Cyst of the vitreous. Trans Am Ophthalmol Soc. 1899;8:507–509. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Lira R, Jungmann P, Moraes L, Silveira A. Clinical features, histopathological analysis and surgical treatment of a free floating vitreous cyst: a case report. Arq Bras Oftalmol. 2006 Sep-Oct;69(5):753–755. doi: 10.1590/S0004-27492006000500026. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Orellana J, O’Malley R, McPherson A, Font R. Pigmented free-floating vitreous cysts in two young adults. Electron microscopic observations. Ophthalmology. 1985 Feb;92(2):297–302. doi: 10.1016/S0161-6420(85)34042-3. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Nork T, Millecchia L. Treatment and histopathology of a congenital vitreous cyst. Ophthalmology. 1998 May;105(5):825–830. doi: 10.1016/S0161-6420(98)95020-5. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Rao P, Almony A, Shah G, Cooper B, Smith M. Histologic and immunohistochemical features of a vitreous cyst. Retin Cases Brief Rep. 2009;3(1):60–61. doi: 10.1097/ICB.0b013e31815654ca. - DOI - PubMed

Publication types